The Nordic Economic Policy Review is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and addresses policy issues in a way that is useful for in-formed non-specialists as well as for professional economists. All articles are commissioned from leading professional economists and are subject to peer review prior to publication. The review appears twice a year. Content: Challenges in health care financing and provision - Tor Iversen and Sverre A.C. Kittelsen Ageing populations: More care or just later care? - Terkel Christiansen, Jørgen Lauridsen and Mickael Bech Comment by Anna Lilja Gunnarsdottir Lifestyle, health and costs - what does available evidence suggest? - Kristian Bolin Comment by Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir The economics of long-term care: A survey - Helmuth Cremer, Pierre Pestieau and Gregory Ponthiere Comment by Þórólfur Matthíasson The role of primary health care in controlling the cost of specialist health care - Stephen Beales and Peter C. Smith Comment by Helgi Tómasson Payments in support of effective primary care for chronic conditions - Randall P. Ellis and Arlene S. Ash Comment by Jørgen T. Lauridsen An economic assessment of price rationing versus non-price rationing of health care - Luigi Siciliani Comment by Mickael Bech Should pharmaceutical costs be curbed? - Kurt R. Brekke, Dag Morten Dalen and Steinar Strøm Comment by Helgi Tómasson Productivity differences in Nordic hospitals: Can we learn from Finland? - Clas Rehnberg and Unto Häkkinen Comment by Thorvaldur Gylfason